K-12 teachers of science have been digging into the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") (NGSS Lead States 2013) to begin creating plans and processes for translating them for classroom instruction. As teachers learn about the NGSS, they have asked about the general structure of the standards document and how to read and use it. This article, part of a series about different aspects of the standards, answers some of the most common questions about the architecture of the "NGSS," from deciphering the codes to understanding the boxes.